Ipiales is in the far south of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. The main reason most travellers arrive is to cross into or out of Ecuador at the Rumichaca border crossing.
By air, there are direct flights from Bogotá to San Luis Airport, which serves Ipiales. The journey takes about an hour and avoids the gruelling overland route through the Andes.
By bus, the overland route from Pasto takes around two hours. From Bogotá or Medellín, the bus journey is a long and winding affair — 20 hours or more from the capital — that passes through some spectacular Andean scenery but demands a commitment. Most travellers choose to fly to Ipiales if coming from elsewhere in Colombia.
From Ecuador, the most common approach is by bus from Quito to Tulcán (around 3 hours), then across the Rumichaca border on foot or by taxi into Ipiales. The crossing itself takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic and queues.